From ecosystem services to benefits of the Baltic Sea - indicators and threats

Abstract

The value of the Baltic Sea manifests through a multitude of human activi-ties that rely on the sea. The most significant threats to the welfare of the Baltic are eutrophication, oil spills and invasive species. The key question is how much resources should be allocated for protecting the ecosystem ser-vices the Baltic provides. In order to establish the optimal protection poli-cies, we require information on the benefits. We propose a framework for deriving the combined benefits from the Baltic Sea ecosystem services. We extend the existing ecological information of the ecosystem services with economic considerations on valuation of these services. The choice of the indicator depends on the environmental problem in question. We define a set of indicators, which captures the linking of the ecological processes and people s perceptions together based on the environmental threats assessed by a Baltic Sea expert panel. The appropriate valuation method will account for the cultural differences between the surrounding nations and for the eco-logical interdependencies underlying the benefits. For the purpose of aggre-gation of benefits there is a need to focus on cultural and provisioning ser-vices to avoid double-counting. The regulating and supporting services should be modelled in such way that their significance is represented in the value of the provisioning and cultural services.